‘I didn’t say Pirates are overrated!’ Maseko eats humble pie after humiliation

Lioli FC coach Bongani Maseko has played down the initial comments about Orlando Pirates made prior to the first meeting in the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.

The tactician was quoted as saying the Buccaneers are overrated and that his team will get past them to advance. The Soweto giants coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, challenged his players to respond on the pitch.

The newly-crowned MTN8 champions won the first leg 3-0 before registering another 4-0 victory in the latest meeting to seal progress to the next phase. In contrast, Pirates are celebrating their achievement. Lioli are licking their wounds, as coach Maseko has now capitalised on the opportunity to clarify his initial comments.

He has further expressed optimism that he will make a comeback with an even better team.

‘Pirates have good players and coach'

“I don’t know because the last time I checked all my interviews, even that one [before last weekend's meeting,] I said Pirates were not good enough. I did not say they were overrated. There is a difference,” he told the media.

“I keep on saying, even before the game, I said Pirates have a good coach and they have good players. Even now, I’m still saying that; it is a fact. So I don’t know why he [celebrated like that]  but I’m a young coach and I wanted to say this, ‘I will come back, we’ll meet with a better team one day’.

“I have that confidence that one day something will happen and we will meet [Pirates] with the better team, and then we see that; but I don’t want to create that dialogue, but I still maintain he [Ouaddou] is a good coach, he has good players and a good team, hence the scoreline,” Maseko concluded.